Chapter 1

 Maya Pov 

"Where is that worthless girl?"

I heard Uncle Marcus yelling from the main floor. I was already moving, grabbing my cleaning bucket and hurrying from the tiny storage closet where I'd been scrubbing floors. My bare feet made no sound on the cold tile.

The moment he saw me, his hand connected with my face. I didn't make a sound. Five years of this taught me that crying only made it worse. My cheek burned but I kept my eyes down, waiting for whatever order would come next.

"We have important guests arriving in two hours. The meeting room better be spotless." His breath smelled like coffee and anger. "Alpha Ryker doesn't tolerate mess, and I need this alliance."

I nodded quickly. Alpha Ryker. I'd heard whispers about him from pack members when they thought I wasn't listening. The most powerful Alpha in six territories. A man who'd absorbed three other packs through combat. Someone even my uncle feared, though he'd never admit it.

"Do you understand how important this is?" Uncle Marcus grabbed my shoulder, his fingers digging into the bruise from yesterday. "If you embarrass me in front of him, you won't eat for a month."

"Yes, Alpha," I whispered. The only words I was allowed to speak.

He shoved me toward the meeting room and I stumbled, catching myself on the wall. My ribs ached from where Sienna had kicked me this morning for not having breakfast ready on time. Everything hurt, all the time. I couldn't remember what it felt like to not be in pain.

The meeting room was already clean. I'd scrubbed it yesterday and nobody had used it since. But I pulled out my supplies anyway and started wiping down surfaces that didn't need wiping. If Uncle Marcus came back and found me standing idle, he'd find a reason to hit me again.

My hands moved automatically while my mind drifted. I did that a lot now—went somewhere else in my head while my body went through the motions. It was easier than thinking about my life. Easier than remembering I was twenty-two and should have had a mate by now, should have had freedom, should have had anything but this.

"Maya!" Sienna's shrill voice cut through my thoughts. "Get in here!"

I abandoned my cleaning and rushed to the kitchen where Sienna stood with her arms crossed. Her blonde hair was perfect as always, her makeup flawless. She looked like a Luna should look. I looked like a ghost in my stained gray dress.

"The refreshments for the meeting aren't prepared. What have you been doing all morning?" Her green eyes were cold.

"I was cleaning the meeting room, Luna. As Alpha Marcus instructed."

Her hand shot out, grabbing my braid and yanking my head back. Pain shot through my skull. "Don't talk back to me."

"I'm sorry, Luna."

She released me with a shove. "You have one hour. Prepare the food tray and don't mess it up." She paused at the door, looking back with a cruel smile. "Oh, and Maya? Stay out of sight when Alpha Ryker arrives. We don't need him seeing the pack's trash."

I waited until she left before letting out a shaky breath. My hands trembled as I pulled out the good serving platters. One hour to prepare food that usually took two hours. But I'd learned to work fast.

I moved through the kitchen like a shadow, preparing small sandwiches, arranging fruit, brewing fresh coffee. My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning—a piece of bread Sienna had thrown at me. But I didn't dare take anything from this tray. Last time I'd eaten food meant for guests, Uncle Marcus had locked me in the basement for three days.

The basement. Just thinking about it made my chest tight. Dark, damp, with rats and spiders. The place where they put me when I was "really bad." Where the cold seeped into your bones and you lost track of time. Where—

"It's ready!" I called out, pushing the memories away.

Nobody answered. I wiped down the counter and returned to the meeting room with my bucket. Fifteen minutes until Alpha Ryker arrived.

I scrubbed the same window for the third time, wondering what kind of person could scare my uncle. Uncle Marcus was cruel and strong. He'd killed my parents—though everyone believed I had. He'd lied to the entire pack and gotten away with it. What kind of Alpha made someone like that nervous?

Footsteps in the hall made me freeze. Multiple sets. I wasn't supposed to be here when guests arrived. I looked around frantically for somewhere to hide, but the footsteps were already at the door.

"...appreciate you coming all this way," Uncle Marcus was saying in his fake-friendly voice. "Please, make yourself comfortable while I gather my Beta."

The door opened. I dropped my eyes to the floor immediately, making myself as small as possible in the corner. Maybe they wouldn't notice me. Maybe—

"You have servants cleaning during important meetings?" A deep voice rumbled through the room. Not angry, just... curious.

"That's just Maya," Uncle Marcus said dismissively. "She was finishing up. Girl, get out of here."

I grabbed my bucket and hurried toward the door, keeping my head down. But I had to pass by the visitor to leave. Just a quick glimpse—I couldn't help it.

Ice-blue eyes met mine.

I stopped breathing. He was huge—easily over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a presence that filled the entire room. His dark blonde hair was cut short, and those eyes... they seemed to see right through me.

"Maya," he said slowly, like he was tasting my name. "Interesting."

"She's nobody," Uncle Marcus said quickly. "Just a servant. Maya, I said leave!"

I ducked my head and practically ran from the room. But I could feel those blue eyes on my back until the door closed behind me.

My heart pounded as I rushed to the kitchen. That was Alpha Ryker. It had to be. The power radiating from him was unlike anything I'd felt before—even without my wolf, I'd sensed it. Danger and strength wrapped together.

I put away my cleaning supplies with shaking hands. Something about the way he'd looked at me... like I was a puzzle he wanted to solve. Nobody looked at me like that. Most people looked through me, or at me with disgust. But he'd really seen me.

"Maya!" Uncle Marcus's voice made me jump. "Come here. Now."

My stomach dropped. What had I done? I walked slowly back to the meeting room, every step feeling like a march to punishment.